Pulmonary Hypertension

Abstract Group 1 pulmonary hypertension (or pulmonary arterial hypertension) is a rare, highly complex, and progressive disorder that is incurable and ultimately can lead to premature death. PAH causes significant physical, social, work, and emotional burdens among affected patients and their caregivers. Early diagnosis and initiation of treatment is required for best outcomes; however, the clinical presentation of PAH is nonspecific and frequently overlaps with several other conditions, often leading to a delay in diagnosis or misdiagnosis. In the past decades, increased understanding of the pathobiology of PAH has led to changes in its definition. Additionally, contemporary PAH registries have shown greater survival rates among patients with PAH and have allowed for the development of risk calculator tools that are now used to drive therapeutic goals. To date, multiple PAH-specific therapies have been developed, and all currently target one of 3 pathways that contribute to the endoth...

End-stage heart failure is the most advanced stage of congestive heart failure. At this point, treatments don't offer too much symptom relief. There are four stages of heart failure. The first two stages—A and B—are considered pre-heart failure, where lifestyle changes and medications can largely keep the condition at bay. By stage C, you may have symptoms like swollen limbs, fatigue, and shortness of breath with physical activity. By stage D, the heart has experienced significant damage, and it has begun to affect how other organs work, like the kidneys. Treatment for this stage includes surgery, heart transplant, or ventricular assist devices. You may also pursue hospice care—treatment based on comfort alone. LPETTET / Getty Images Signs Congestive heart failure is usually thought to be a condition of the heart, but it can affect other organs as it progresses. It continues to get worse with each flare-up, or exacerbation, and 90% of people...

Breadcrumb Trail Links News Health Canada When should you go to the hospital? Signs of trouble include difficulty breathing chest pain or pressure and feeling so sick you can't care for yourself Publishing date: Jan 06, 2022  •  January 6, 2022  •  4 minute read  •  239 Comments Toronto's St. Michael's Hospital. Photo by Peter J Thompson / National Post Article content Emergency rooms are seeing high numbers of people with symptoms of COVID, but doctors say most won't end up needing to be in hospital. Advertisement Article content Most people with a COVID infection can recover at home. "If you are otherwise healthy and vaccinated, this will likely be a relatively minor illness and nuisance for you: from almost no symptoms, to a cold, to something that is more achy in nature," Toronto infectious diseases physician Dr. Andrew Morris writes in a rece...

Chronic kidney disease can look like heart failure. Both diseases cause fluids to backup, leading to swelling, or edema, in your lower extremities, meaning in your legs and feet. Fluid can build up in the lungs, as well, in both diseases, leading to (once again) shortness of breath. Fatigue and weakness are also common symptoms in both. "Kidney disease, getting worse, can often mimic heart failure, particularly in the context of just feeling generally poor and seeing fluid retention," says Santi Yarlagadda, M.D., a cardiologist at National Jewish Health in Denver, CO.

If you're the nervous or stressed-out type, someone has probably given you a mini-sermon about the wonders of ashwagandha. They've probably told you that it can do just about everything including make you dinner and put the kids to bed. But if you're skeptical about herbal medicine, you probably haven't considered looking into ashwagandha. That's OK. We're going to do the legwork for you. Advertising Policy Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy With the help of integrative medicine specialist Yufang Lin, MD, we'll cover the basics and some of the medically proven benefits of using ashwagandha. Where did ashwagandha come from? Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), also known as "Indian Winter cherry" or Indian Ginseng," is...

Physical therapists work with thousands of individuals to help them with pain-free movement and function. The movement they most often work on is a voluntary movement. When you want to rise from a chair, your brain forms the impulse, and that impulse travels down a nerve to the muscles involved in rising from a chair. They contract, and your body voluntarily rises from the chair. But there are many other functions that occur in your body that seemingly happen beyond conscious thought. Your nervous system is constantly controlling your heart rate, blood pressure, anxiety levels, and pain responses. Gaining voluntary control of some of these involuntary functions may help treat conditions like chronic pain, anxiety, or constipation. Biofeedback therapy can help you gain control of involuntary impulses in your body. This article will describe what biofeedback therapy is, the different types of biofeedback therapy, how it's used, and how to get started. Micro...